Doorframe Pull-Up Bar Workouts: Full Body Strength Training for Arms, Chest, Shoulders, Back, Core, Glutes and Legs

By Ryan George

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO GETTING RIPPED WITH THE POPULAR AT-HOME PULL-UP BAR

Follow the programs in this book and achieve the ripped, rock-hard physique you’ve always wanted. The exercises in Doorframe Pull-Up Bar Workouts unleash the full potential of this simple, compact piece of equipment for intense muscle building, vigorous athletic conditioning and fast fat burning. More than a pull-ups program, these gym-free workouts will tone and shape your entire body, for:

• Sculpted Shoulders
• Chiseled Chest
• Carved Back
• Ripped Arms
• Washboard Abs
• Firm Glutes
• Powerful Legs

Packed with hundreds of step-by-step photos, clearly explained exercises and a dozen progressive training programs, Doorframe Pull-Up Bar Workouts will get you in shape and improve your health using this single piece of equipment in the comfort of your home.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ulysses Press
• Release date: Nov 11, 2014
• ISBN: 9781612433844

Book preview

PART I

OVERVIEW

INTRODUCTION

At its core, exercise is really simple. It involves the application of a few basic but well-tested principles in order to achieve a desired result: consistency, specificity, efficiency, progression and recovery. These core principles are both easy to understand and easy to apply to any situation.

Over time and for a variety of reasons, this simplicity has become overly complicated. We’re bombarded with new equipment, fad diets and trendy workouts that often make promises that are far too good to be true. While some have merit, more often than not they’re simply a cash grab. Magazines have to sell issues, websites have to generate hits. As a result, we find a market oversaturated with information that’s often contradictory. The problem is that, with so much misinformation flooding the market, the average person can be overwhelmed and unsure of how to proceed with an exercise program. This leads to months and years of guesswork and a process of trial and error that can be frustrating and discouraging and ultimately lead to failure.

The purpose of Doorframe Pull-Up Bar Workouts is to peel back the layers of misinformation in order to reveal exercise’s simple roots. A second purpose is to make exercise and fitness accessible to anybody in any setting. To achieve this, I’m centering the workouts around one of the absolute best pieces of exercise equipment: the doorframe pull-up bar.

In order to understand why I’d write a book focused on a single piece of equipment, it’s important to know a bit about my background in the fitness world. My journey began in 2002 when I decided to become a personal trainer. Initially, I did it simply to learn how to improve my own workouts while making a few extra dollars on the side. I quickly fell in love with fitness as I grew passionate about understanding how the body works and the different ways that one could effect change on it. Like most trainers, I started my career working at a couple of large health clubs. That experience allowed me to train a diverse clientele base, as well as work with and learn from some brilliant minds in the fitness industry. I eventually moved on to start my own business, My Home Trainer, a personal training company that sends trainers to the client’s home. Working in this setting forced me to make the most of my surroundings and allowed me to test my own creativity.

Variety is important in developing an exercise program because it keeps things interesting and allows a person to make progress. Working in a health club gives a trainer access to hundreds of unique pieces of equipment. When working at home, there’s typically very limited access to equipment, and I quickly learned that a person had to make the most out of a small number of items in order to both achieve results and stave off boredom. This is where I discovered the value of the doorframe pull-up bar. For me it killed two birds with one stone: It supplied enough diversity to keep the workouts progressive and different, and also provided enough of a challenge to impart consistent and great results.

Of the many benefits of the doorframe pull-up bar, the one that stands out the most is the ability to perform pull-ups almost anywhere. Pull-ups are in the opinion of many, myself included, the very best exercise. Having this as an option while training my clients in a limited setting allows them to achieve significant results. I’ve had great success with my in-home clients, largely due to the diversity of the doorframe pull-up bar and the ability to perform pull-ups combined with other key exercises.

For years, pull-ups have been a staple in my own workouts as well as my clients’ and I’ve seen great results in both areas. Doorframe Pull-Up Bar Workouts is my chance to share simple, no-frills, goal-oriented workouts that are useful for any number of goals, including weight loss, functional strength, athletic conditioning, core stability and increased muscle tone.

If you’re one of the many who find pull-ups intimidating, too difficult or impossible to attain, don’t worry. Included is a program designed to help you build up to performing pull-ups. Additionally, there are many modifications described in this book that will assist you in getting many of the benefits of pull-ups, even if you can’t yet perform a full one.

While I’m a big proponent of pull-ups, what makes the doorframe pull-up bar even more effective is that you can perform other exercises with it. You can use it for hanging ab movements to work the midsection and core. Additionally, it can be placed on the floor for upper- and lower-body exercises. I find using a doorframe pull-up bar in combination with bodyweight exercises to be among the most effective and efficient ways to exercise.

My goal is that you find this book to be accessible and valuable regardless of your fitness level. Total beginners will have access to step-by-step instructions on the core movements as well as valuable information that anyone starting an exercise program should have. If you suffer from a muscular or joint injury or limitation, I provide detailed instructions on how to modify movements in order to get the benefits of exercise without exacerbating an injury. If you’re more advanced or athletic, there are advanced workouts and exercises to maximize your results. If you’re a fitness enthusiast looking to change things up, you’ll find programs to help re-energize your fitness routine. No matter what your level, you’ll find Doorframe Pull-Up Bar Workouts to be an essential part of your fitness library.

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Doorframe Pull-Up Bar Workouts has been designed to provide you with all of the information that you need to begin or expand on an exercise program in the comfort of your home. All you need is a doorframe pull-up bar and this book to achieve any number of goals and objectives.

This book consists of three sections. Part I talks about the doorframe pull-up bar in detail and explains the fundamentals of exercise and fitness. Part II takes you through fitness testing and baseline assessments, useful if you’d like to measure your progress. It also contains a variety of preset programs and describes how to design your own. The programs are all based on goals, so you’ll have the opportunity to select a program that specifically caters to your needs.

Part III is made up of all the exercises, with options for making them harder or easier. If you’re comfortable designing your own exercise programs, you can skip right to this section. The appendix provides you with movements for warming up and cooling down, as well as stretches.

THE DOORFRAME PULL-UP BAR

WHAT IS THE DOORFRAME PULL-UP BAR?

If you purchase one piece of exercise equipment for your home, it should be the doorframe pull-up bar. The most practical and efficient solution to installing a pull-up bar in the home, it’s easy to find and can be purchased online or at any sporting goods store.

There are many options when deciding on a doorframe pull-up system. Companies like Iron Gym and Waccess offer systems that require no major installation, although they do need molding on a doorframe. Basically, they hook around one side of a doorframe and use the handles on the other side to evenly distribute the weight. They’re safe and sturdy and can be set up and taken down in a matter of seconds. Their small size also makes them portable and easy to carry around.

Doorframe pull-up bars have the added bonus of working as a floor unit and can be used for a wide variety of floor exercises, which I discuss later in this book. Iron Gym and Astone Fitness also offer extreme versions, which offer many more positions to grip the bar. Their angled ends provide a slightly better hand position for performing wide-grip pull-ups.

WHY THE DOORFRAME PULL-UP BAR?

Throughout my career as a fitness professional, I’ve had the opportunity to work in a variety of settings. I’ve worked out of huge luxury fitness centers, small recreation centers and tiny NYC apartments. I’ve worked in settings with the newest and most advanced equipment, and I’ve trained clients in the park. Over time I discovered that, somewhat counterintuitively, I saw better results with the clients who had minimal equipment. The lack of equipment in these settings meant that my workouts were based almost exclusively on bodyweight exercises. As these clients increased their strength and adapted to the various exercises, I was forced to push the envelope and make things more challenging and dynamic. In many cases, their functional strength and ability went through the roof because we didn’t have the equipment at a traditional gym to fall back on. More often than not, pull-ups were at the center of these exercise programs, and this is what really sold me on the value of the doorframe pull-up bar.

The doorframe pull-up bar is incredibly diverse and has quite a few significant benefits.

1 EASE OF USE: In the not-so-distant past, setting up a home pull-up bar meant permanently installing a bar in your home. While this may work if you have a dedicated exercise space, it presents a challenge if you don’t want a pull-up bar hanging at all times. There’s also the issue of actually installing a bar that can support hundreds of pounds of weight. The doorframe pull-up bar solves these problems because it literally takes seconds to set up and requires no installation.

2 PORTABILITY: The doorframe pull-up bar can be taken apart in less than a minute and stored away easily. You can then pack it up and take it with you to work or when traveling.

3 VARIETY OF EXERCISES: The doorframe pull-up bar allows for a wide range of exercises, including dozens of pull-ups and variations, hanging abdominal exercises and floor exercises that can all be performed with only the doorframe pull-up bar.

4 CENTER OF A HOME-BASED EXERCISE PROGRAM: Because the doorframe pull-up bar allows for pull-ups, it’s perfect for a home-based fitness program and can be as effective as working out in a fully equipped facility.

Why Pull-Ups?

The very mention of pull-ups tends to generate a reaction unlike any other exercise. For some it’s a sense of dread. For others, it brings back bad memories of elementary school gym class. There are those who see them as a source of strength and empowerment, and then there are those who view pull-ups as a goal or a milestone that they’d